I recently ran across an odd item that I previously knew nothing about. It involved a reported effort by a lawyer in Philadelphia to raise questions about the validity of titles of property owners throughout Pelham in an effort to extract settlement funds from

Friday, November 27, 2009

A very brief reference contained in the May 6, 1882 issue of The Pioneer published in New Rochelle, New York, reflects the date that City Island in Pelham was first connected to the communications grid of telegraph wires that were beginning to cross the

There once was another "Pelham Country Club" that pre-dated the club now known by that name. The first Pelham Country Club was organized during a meeting held on May 12, 1898. It quickly developed a small nine-hole golf course on land it leased in Pelham.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

I continue to locate even more references to early baseball played in Pelham. Today's posting collects a couple of references published in 1886. One contained in the Society column of The Evening Telegram [New York City] erroneously refers to the Country Club

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

For the last several days I have been posting references to early instances of baseball being played in Pelham. Today I transcribe an article that appeared in the August 23, 1884 issue of the New Rochelle Pioneer. The article details news about Pelham and

Saturday, November 21, 2009

As Canada's Parliament debates Bill C-384, why are more pharmacists not rising up in protest over possible legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide? Is it because we ought to remain neutral? Yet if this debate is supposed to be all about choice, then, as a pharmacist, I choose not to remain neutral on an issue that could impact my livelihood.

I'm in the business of health and wellness; longevity concoctions, my specialty. I believe it is more lucrative to keep my oldies alive and kicking longer; eliminating them is against my mission statement, and it would surely kill my business too. Unless, of course, I could charge a hefty sum for how-to-exit kits, including arsenic, asphyxiation bags, and other death paraphernalia.

But then comes another dilemma; as the elderly get knocked off, replacements will be needed -- so I can continue to offer my services. Yet most pharmacies are also in the birth control business; sooner rather than later, my clients will largely come from overseas. Time to brush up on my Arab and Cantonese.

Are health-care providers prepared for the impact a euthanasia law could have on their day-to-day practice? If, for moral or ethical reasons they find themselves unable to comply with such a law, would they risk being fined or put in prison? Would I be accused of imposing my morality were I to dissuade sweet Ms. Jones from being euthanized by her inheritance-ravenous offspring? Yes, they will all claim it was her own choice, and really, in everyone else's best interests.

How about the lady with the severe arthritis or the man with the club foot? How about the child with the MS or the severely depressed teenager? Will our answer to their pain be their death too? If the Right To Die movement has its way, it will all boil down to "personal" choice. But whose choice will it really be? For example, as a pharmacist, I had no choice over the following briefing which states that everyone should have a choice.

In 1994, a government brief was presented to the Senate Committee Studying Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide by the Canadian Pharmacists Association. This brief clearly shows that pharmacists, like the Canadian population as a whole, are "largely divided on the issue [of euthanasia] and cannot make a strong recommendation on the legalization of euthanasia or assisted suicide." The briefing statements make it appear as though everyone involved will have a choice, but the reality is there will need to be a balancing of rights; the right of the patient to receive what he wants, versus the right of the health-care professional not to participate in the patient's demise. For many, referral will not be a viable option.

So if such a law should pass, I want to make something clear; I want two choices; the choice not to kill off my business by concocting death potions, and also the choice not to refer my oldies or disabled youngsters for liquidation elsewhere.

But, with all our "rights and choice" talk, are we not neglecting the underlying issues causing the euthanasia debate in the first place? And why are we not learning from the Netherlands? According to Dr. Herbert Hendin, American author of, Seduced by Death, the broad "safety" guidelines to prevent people from being euthanized against their will have been largely ignored, to the point where the doctors who help set euthanasia guidelines will privately admit that euthanasia in the Netherlands is basically out of control.

What we really need to be asking ourselves is: How did the patient reach the decision to put an end to his or her life in the first place? Was there any pressure? Was there fear of pain, of loneliness, or of the unknown? Has our society become so cold and ruthless that a sick person would rather die than be subjected to humiliating treatment by those who ought to care? The reality is that were euthanasia to be legalized in Canada, we would be embarking on a "social experiment" of great magnitude.

Once the experiment is unleashed there will be no turning back. Your "choice" and mine may become somebody else's.

Alarcon is a Vancouver pharmacist with a masters in bioethics. Published in Vancouver on October 29, 2009 in The Province

In 1900, a Village of North Pelham Constable captured a "desperate criminal" who tried to kidnap two local youngsters. The event was widely reported after Pelham residents gathered at Town Hall and threatened to remove the prisoner and lynch him. The Mount

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Are you eligible for Florida Kidcare, Medicaid, or Healthy Kids? In order to make that determination, you first need to know where your family income falls in the poverty guidelines. See the 2009 Federal Poverty Guidelines below:

The 2009 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia

Persons in family

Poverty guideline

1

$10,830

2

14,570

3

18,310

4

22,050

5

25,790

6

29,530

7

33,270

8

37,010

For families with more than 8 persons, add $3,740 for each additional person.

To read more information about the Federal 2009 Poverty guildlines, click HERE. Also, if you need to view the income amounts at the varying percentages over 100% of poverty level, please click HERE. The next step is to look at the Florida KidCare Eligibility chart. Below is a brief summary:

• Children ages 0 through one, up to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX and Title XXI funded)

• Children ages one through five, up to 133% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX funded)

• Children ages one through five, at 134% to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under MediKids (Title XXI funded)

• Children ages one through five, above 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under MediKids full pay

• Children ages 5 through 18, up to 100% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX funded)

• Children ages 5 through 18, at 101% to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Healthy Kids (Title XXI funded)

• Children ages 5 through 18, above 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Healthy Kids full pay

To learn more or apply for Florida KidCare, please click HERE to visit their web site.

For the last several days I have been posting information about the work of the Pelham Manor Protective Club first established in 1881 as a "Vigilance Committee" to oversee the health and welfare of Pelham Manor residents a decade before the incorporation of

Yesterday I posted an item to the Historic Pelham Blog regarding the Pelham Manor Protective Club first established in 1881 as a "Vigilance Committee" to oversee the health and welfare of Pelham Manor residents a decade before the incorporation of the Village

Monday, November 16, 2009

Regular readers recognize that I periodically post information about the work of the Pelham Manor Protective Club first established in 1881 as a "Vigilance Committee" to oversee the health and welfare of Pelham Manor residents a decade before the

In yesterday's Blog posting, I collected numerous accounts of baseball played in Pelham during the 19th century. Today's posting transcribes an article published in the May 10, 1894 issue of The Chronicle [Mount Vernon]. At the very end of the article, there

I have written extensively regarding the history of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association. Regular readers may recall that I have published quite a number of blog postings on the topic, including:

During the late 1860s, efforts were underway to shorten the distance to travel between Fordham and City Island. One of those efforts involved the development of the roadway we know now as Pelham Avenue. Commissioners were appointed to lay out the roadway.

Yesterday I posted to the Historic Pelham Blog a sad account of the gunshot suicide of a promising young man during his recitation of a scene from Phaedra in front of a large crowd on City Island in 1875. See:

Thursday, November 5, 2009

A tragic and shocking event saddened attendees at a large picnic gathering on City Island in 1875. During a festive "Congressional Picnic", a young man who was invited to perform a dramatic recitation in front of the crowd pulled a pistol and committed

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

With yesterday's Election Day now over, it somehow seems appropriate on the Historic Pelham Blog to provide the election results from Pelham's Town election held in March 1875. Of the sixteen Town officials elected on that occasion, 15 were Democrats. Below

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The United States Government leased Davids' Island off the coasts of Pelham and New Rochelle in April, 1862 for use as a hospital complex during the Civil War. The Government erected structures that eventually housed thousands of wounded soldiers.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Bolton Priory is a lovely residence on the National Register of Historic Places located in Pelham Manor. There are many wonderful stories and unusual facts regarding the structure. One of the most unusual involves one of its gardeners who died in 1900. The